Narrow fold moist towelette package



Aug. 27, 1968 D. CLANCY NARROW FOLD MOIST TOWELETTE PACKAGE Original Filed March 31, 1966 FIG. 4 32 FIG. 5

FIG.

FIG. 10

INVENTOR 0A V/D CLANC'Y EYS United States Patent 3,398,826 NARROW FOLD MOIST TOWELETTE PACKAGE David Clancy, Canaan, Conn., assignor to Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 539,067, Mar. 31, 1966. This application Oct. 12, 1966, Ser. No. 586,306 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compact single use package cleansing unit consisting essentially of a liquid impregnated folded applicator pack enclosed in a sealed tearable gas-tight envelope. The applicator pack is a single flexible sheet of absorbent fibrous material initially accordion folded along a series of parallel fold lines wherein coextensive plies are substantially in directly superposed relationship and subsequently folded over upon itself along a medial line at a right angle to the parallel lines to its compact final folded form in which it has a width of approximately an inch and a length of approximately 2 /2 inches. The gas-tight envelope conforms in size substantially to that of the folded applicator pack.

Cross-reference to related applications This application is a continuation of my copending application Ser. No. 539,067 which was filed Mar. 31, 1966, now abandoned and which is a continuation of my application Ser. No. 287,983 filed June 14, 1963, now abandoned, for Narrow Fold Moist Towelette Package.

This invention relates to the individual packaging of single use moist towelettes, and is particularly concerned with special narrow fold packages which are compact and offer marked advantages for handling in automatic package forming machinery, and from which the towelettes are extracted in condition for use by a simple spreading operation.

It has been proposed as in United States Patent to Williams No. 3,057,467 issued Oct. 9, 1962 to package individual folded towelettes premoistened and enclosed in air tight envelopes. The present invention provides an improved more compact narrow fold towelette package, that may be packed and carried in smaller spaces and is better suited to handling in automatic molding and inserting machinery.

The major object of the present invention is to provide a novel package containing a moist towelette that has been multiple folded in a special manner which is peculiarly adapted to automatic machinery and provides a more compact package better suited to customer usage.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel narrow fold moist towelette package wherein a relatively tough flexible sheet of absorbent paper or like fibrous material is multiple folded along a plurality of parallel lines and then finally folded over on a midline at right angles to said parallel lines for ready thrusting into an envelope to be sealed around it. Pursuant to this object the towelette is preferably accordion folded, although other narrow folds may be used as will appear in the detailed description.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds in connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a package according to a preferred embodiment of the invention partially broken away to show the narrow fold applicator;

FIGURE 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a frgamentary section on line 3-3 of in dotted lines;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation showing the accordion folded sheet in partially spread condition;

FIGURE 6 is an elevation of the narrow fold applicator ready for insertion into'the package envelope of FIGURE FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a towelette adapted for another form of narrow fold according to the invention;

FIGURES 8-10 are plan views showing successive first, second and third folds of the towelette along parallel lines;

FIGURE 11 is a plan view of the towelette finally folded on its midline at a right angle to the parallel folds and ready for insertion into the envelope; and

FIGURE 12 is a perspective view showing the finally folded towelette of FIGURE 11 in partially open condition.

The invention comprises a sealed package 20 consisting essentially of an outer liquid and gas impervious tearable enevlope 21 and a moistened narrow fold towelette applicator 22 enclosed within the envelope.

The envelope preferably consists of a single laminated sheet 23 folded about a medial portion 24 (FIGURE 2) but alternative constructions, e.g. two sheets heat sealed together, may be used if desired. The laminated sheet advantageously comprises (FIGURE 3) an outer sheet of paper or the like 25, an outer thin flexible layer 26 of some gas impervious thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, a flexible sheet 27 of metal foil such as aluminum foil and an inner thin flexible layer 28 of some gas impervious thermoplastic material such as polyethylene which may be the same as layer 26. For some impregnating liquids a laminated sheet of paper and heat sealable plastic suffices.

The sheets and layers 25-28 are coextensive, and a function of layer 26 is to intimately surface bond the paper sheet 25 to the foil sheet 27 over their coextensive areas. This is usually accomplished by spraying layer 26 over the inner surface of paper sheet 25, appyling the foil sheet 27 and subjecting the sandwich to uniform heat and pressure, as by passing it through heated rollers. The inner layer 28 is then sprayed onto the inner surface of foil sheet 27. The foregoing may be accomplished while the sheets 25 and 27 are long webs, with the final laminated structure being severed into envelope size.

In the package the envelope is heat sealed entirely around its inner periphrey in a continuous rectangular band indicated at 29, so that all of the coextensive edge areas of polyethylene layer 28 are integrally fused together at band 29 and in effect the narrow fold applicator to be described is wholly contained within a continuous impervious plastic enclosure. It will be noted that the heat seal band 29 extends along the fold 24, because even though the paper and foil are integral at that region the bending operation may open tiny apertures in the foil and a heat seal insures against leakage.

The paper 25 is usually printed on its outer side prior to envelope forming, although some printing may be done at almost any stage.

In making the package, the envelope is first heat sealed at the bottom and usually also on the opposite sides, leaving the top 31 and optionally the sides open. The folded towelette 22 is then thrust through open envelope top 31 into the interior position shown in FIGURE 1. If the sides have not previously been sealed this is done next, the liquid is squirted into the package, and the heat seal band 29 completed across the top.

'- It is a major feature of the present invention to provide riorate structurally or chemically when moistened with a liquid cleanser or during use as an applicator, is soft enough not to scratch or harm the skin during Wiping, and will not drain in the package. The sheet 32 may be made for example of the wet strength paper disclosed in said Williams patent.

The liquid employed to moisten the towelette maybe any suitable compound such as a cleansing liquid not harmful to human skin, eyes or the like and for example maybe the mixture of detergent, cleansing agent, humectant, astringent, olfactory stimulant, drying or evaporating agent and carrier disclosed in said Williams patent. In using the unfolded applicator this liquid will dry or evaporate during or so soon after wiping that no further drying as by a separate towel is required.

In the preferred embodiment of FIGURES 1-6, the absorbent material while dry is first accordion folded along substantially equally spaced parallel lines 33. The usual absorbent towelette when unfolded is about five by eight inches, thus being large enough to serve for Washing the skin when unfolded, so that by providing seven alternate folds (FIGURE a narrow accordion folded strip about one inch wide and five inches long is first formed, and when this strip is folded over once at the longitudinal dash midline 34 of FIGURE 4 the rectangular narrow fold towelette is ready for insertion into the envelope. This narrow fold towelette is generally rectangular and about 1" x 2 /2" in size, with sixteen ply thickness of sheet material, and is particularly suitable for automatic machinery, the closed side of the fold 34 being located at the bottom so that an insertion blade in automatic machinery may descend into the open side and thrust it through envelope opening 31.

Referring to FIGURES 7-12 an alternate narrow fold towelette is disclosed. Here the absorbent paper or the like is first folded on medial dot-dash line 36 to the two ply condition of FIGURE 8, then on the parallel dotdash medial line 37 to the four ply condition of FIG- URE 9, and then on the parallel medial dot-dash line 38 to the eight ply condition of FIGURE 10.

At this point (FIGURE there exists a narrow multiple fold strip about 1" x 5", which is then folded about medial dash line 39 at a right angle to lines 36, 37 and 38 to produce the final narrow fold towelette 41 ready for insertion into an envelope such as that at 21, there to be moistened prior to heat sealing of the envelope.

The rectangular sixteen ply thickness towelette of FIGURES 7-10 has the same physical characteristics as that of FIGURES 1-6, and is similarly moistened.

'In both embodiments of the invention the envelope 21 is torn along one edge to open the package for removing, unfolding and using the moist applicator 22 or 41. The impregnating liquid, as disclosed in said patent, is sufliciently volatile to evaporate during and/or im- 'mediately after wiping the applicator along the skin,

whereby the user is cleansed, cooled and refreshed. The used applicator is discarded.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing de; scription, and all changes which come. within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: a

1. A compact single use packaged cleansing unit consisting essentially of a folded applicator pack" of.liquid absorbent material impregnated with a volatile liquid and separably enclosed in a sealed tearable gas-tight .rectangular envelope, said applicator pack being a single flexible sheet of fibrous material which in fully unfolded condition is large enough to serve for wiping a surface, said sheet being initially accordion folded alonga series of parallel fold lines into a long, narrow substantially flat folded strip wherein coextensive plies approximately one inch Wide are substantially in directly superposed relationship, said strip being subsequently folded over upon itself along a medial line at a right angle to said parallel lines to the compact final form of pack present in said envelope, said pack in its final folded condition having a width of approximately an inch and a length of approximately 2 /2 inches, said envelope conforming in size substantially to that of said folded pack and comprising an opposed pair of laminated, coextensive sheet side sections each having an outer paper sheet defining an outer surface of said envelope, an inner flexible sheet of metal foil coextensive with and intimately full surface-bonded to said paper sheet, and a thin flexible layer of gas impervious thermoplastic material applied over the inner surface of said metal foil .sheet and defining an inner surface of said envelope, the flexible layers of said sheet sections being integrally fused together along a marginal band to seal said envelope in its final form.

A 2. The packaged .unit defined in claim 1, wherein said sheet is successively double folded upon itself along parallel medial lines into said narrow strip.

3. The packaged unit defined in claim 1, wherein said envelope is formed from a single laminated sheet folded onto itself along a medial line to define said opposed, laminated sheet sections, with said medial fold line of said strip being adjacent to the medial fold line of said single laminated sheet. 1

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,713,000 5/1929 Magill 206-57 1,874,850 8/ 1932 Daniels 20657 2,150,058 3/1939 Frazier.

3,025,957 3/1962 Wall 20657 X 3,129,811 4/1964- Williams.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

